A Bosmer's Sentence
by theeverubiquitouseffie
Summary: A Bosmer wakes up in The Imperial Prison, clueless to her life beforehand. As she tries to uncover her past, she meets a lot of familiar faces- will continue! Rated T for some language and gore, and some suggestive content.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One- The Little Bosmer Prisoner and the Party

Sunlight suddenly warmed my face. I opened my eyes slowly, savouring the warmth on my face- a

sharp contrast to the cool, albeit slightly uncomfortable feeling in the rest of my body.

_Where the hell am I?_ I was in a stone walled, cold room, lying on the floor in a bedroll. I

could see a small table to my left, and hay mixed with centuries of dirt on the concrete floor. _I _

_slept here?_ I must've been desperate, very desperate, to consider laying a single foot in this

dive.

"I hope I didn't pay to sleep here" I grumbled to myself. I stood up too quickly, and felt a

sharp stinging pain in the back of my head. Reaching back to tentatively prod the sore spot, I

realised, with a stinging shock, exactly where I was and exactly why I had iron cuffs on my slim

wrists. The problem, however, wasn't that I had woken up in The Imperial Prison. The thing that

was truly getting under my skin was that I hadn't the slightest idea who I was. Or, I thought,

quickly spotting the cerulean man stood in the cell opposite me, _what_ I was.

"Oh, goodie, the little Bosmer's awake," he crooned, stood at the bars of his cell, smiling

maliciously at me.

"What did you just call me?"

"_Bosmer_, Bosmer. Don't play coy with me, child, you were quite the little fighter when they brought you in here. The bastards had to throw you right against the wall to make you shut up and stop wriggling. Not heard a coherent word from you in days. _Days._ Just mumbles in your sleep, old Valen here was getting bored... Go on, then, entertain me, what did the pretty little Bosmer do to end up in pwison?"

"Believe me, if I-"

"You're a little far from the forest, aren't you? I bet a pretty little thing like you has done something terribly naughty. Cyrodiil isn't as liberal as Valenwood, you know. There are certain unspoken rules when it comes to," his eyes flickered up and down my petite frame, "_selling your wares."_

"You dirty bastard. I must be ages younger than you!" I screamed. He just laughed maniacally, seeming to enjoy the anger he had caused.

"Oh, dear, it looks like your days of frolicking in the woods are over. Can you hear the guards coming? They're on their way for you, my little Wood Elf. To go from the gladed realm of Valenwood to this rat-infested hole can't be easy. Don't worry though, you shouldn't be here much longer. You're going to die, Wood Elf!" And he laughed himself back to his bedroll, leaving me to seethe in my own anger.

I _ could_ hear guards coming. _Oh shit_. I'd spent the last few days of my life sleeping fitfully in a bedroll. How long had my life been? Looking at my slim, pale and smooth skin told me I couldn't be older than thirty, yet my ample bosom (despite my forthcoming demise, I couldn't help but smile at those bad boys- _I must've had droves of men after me!_) implied I was definitely no child. 20 seemed about right. 20 years, ended, and for what? A crime I couldn't remember committing.

I sat back down on the bedroll, cradled my knees in my arms, and cried. Would it be painful? What would happen after? Hot tears poured down my face and onto my sack pants. I stayed like that for a few minutes, listening to the approaching footsteps.

"My sons, they're dead, aren't they?" A voice, a very noble voice, spoke. He seemed quite close by, but I was content to stay where I was, for the time being.

"We don't know that sire-"

"No, they're dead. I know it." Despite his tragic loss, he didn't seem all that sad. He sounded a lot like a man who had resigned himself to the worst a long time ago. There was a pause.

"My job right now is to get you to safety."

"I know this place. We're in the prison, aren't we?"

"Yes, your Majesty, just beneath the Legion Compound. We're heading to a secret passage known only to the Blades. No one can follow us through here."

Majesty? Blades? This bloke was important. Now, if I could only remember who the Blades were...

"There isn't supposed to be anyone in here! There's guidelines about where the prisoners are to be put, and they _aren't _supposed to be put in here! What the hell are we going to do with her?"

They were very close now. To my sensitive ears, it sounded like they were right outside my door. I peered over my folded arms to get a glimpse of the party who, as it happened, were right outside the barred door to my cell.

_By the nines! _Perhaps a grisly public execution _wasn't _headed my way, at least not yet, anyway. I stood up slowly, and inched towards the door. It opened, and in a flash, there was a sword pointed right at my neck.

"Don't move a muscle, prisoner." I stared, wide-eyed, at the armoured man. The party continued to move through my cell, until they stopped before a wide stone arch that must've been bricked up centuries ago. _They mustn't keep very good records around here _I thought, although a small part of me felt quite sorry for the man dressed in purple and gold finery. Lost his sons, and, by the sound of things, soon to lose his own life.

The female guard started examining the bricks that made up the archway. _There isn't a hope in hell that they're getting through there any time soon. _The regal-looking man looked around my cell, perhaps in aid of finding somewhere to avert his eyes from the apparent failure of his guards.

"You!" he said, suddenly striding over to me, "I've seen you! Let me see your face... Let her go, Baurus-" he added to his guard, "You are the one from my dreams, and the stars were right... This is the day. Gods give me strength."

My eyes flitted around every member of this most unusual party. "Sorry, what's going on?"

The old man sighed heavily, "Assassins attacked my sons, and I am next. My Blades are leading me to safety through an old passageway. By chance, the entrance to that passageway leads through your cell."

"Do you know why I am in jail?"

He chuckled softly, and I genuinely felt that he wasn't mocking me, "Perhaps the Gods have placed you here so that we might meet. As for your crimes, they do not matter. They are not what you will be remembered for."

"Who are you?" Though I didn't know this man, I felt compelled to worship him. He stood with a straight back despite the weight of the world on his shoulders, and seemed to embody all the good in the world.

"I am your emperor, Uriel Septim. By the grace of the Gods, I serve Tamriel. You too shall serve Tamriel, in your own time, but for now, I must leave you." And he was gone. Through the stone archway, he followed his Blades into the gloom.

I was left with a choice. Looking into the dark archway, and back at Valen, I had almost made up my mind.

"Oh, pretty little Wood Elf, won't you let me out of my cell? We're pals, you and me, aren't we? Do an old pal a favour, and we can escape this hole together, eh?"

"Oh, Valen," I sighed, stepping towards his cell door. I got close enough so he could hear me whisper "I hope you rot."

I marched triumphantly back into my cell to the sounds of his spluttering indignation, took a last look around my dingy surroundings, and stepped into total darkness.

So, what do you think? All reviews are completely welcome, but please be nice! Haha, this is my first fanfic, so I hope you like it :)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Her Dream and His Amulet

Our heroine becomes acquainted with goblins, stages a rat's revenge and learns a little bit more about herself. She is also tasked with finding a certain monk.

I haven't followed the game's events quite as much as in the last chapter, mostly to allow some character development for our heroine, so the order of events won't be quite right. The necessary bits are still in there, though. I hope you enjoy! And don't forget to review (:

_Excellent_, I thought, as I picked up a shortsword, bow and some arrows. I had a quick practice against an old bucket, and whilst the shortsword was much better for quick attacks, I felt so much more comfortable holding the bow. I was no master smith, but I could tell they weren't in the best condition. Still, it didn't seem to matter much, anyway, as there didn't seem to be anything that would attack me down here.

As I carried on through the dark, rather humid tunnel, I began to examine my wrist cuffs. I had always been something of a curious and easily distracted individual, so it's a surprise I hadn't begun such a task sooner. I noticed they were made of a thick, rough iron, that was slightly rusted in places, but, more importantly, I noticed that there seemed to be a hinge on one side, and a crack on the opposite. _They opened,_ I thought happily, as by this point they had begun to chafe my wrists slightly. I unsheathed the sword attached to my thigh, and tried to prise open the cuffs. No luck there. I glanced around the gloom and found exactly what I was looking for: a large and jagged rock. I inspected the rock, and noted that if I wasn't careful, I'd end up with a nasty cut. I swivelled the wrist cuff so that the crack was on the side of my wrist, prayed to the Nine and brought my wrist down, hard, on the point of the rock. It hurt like a bitch. Although I'd managed to avoid tearing my hand off, the impact had rendered my wrist dizzy feeling and painful. _At least I won't really be needing to use any weapons for a while_, I thought.

I winced, and repeated the motion for my right arm. I was about to leave the cuffs where they lay, until a small glint of light caught the inside of the cuff.

Prisoner number: 4827

Prisoner name: Efendril

Prisoner date of birth: 19 Rain's Hand 409

Date of imprisonment: 24 Last Seed 433

_Well, that clears a few things up_, I thought. So, I'm 24 years old, and my name is Efendril. Efendril. Hmm. That might take some getting used to, I'm not entirely sure if I like it, but it's a start. The words faded away with a blue sheen, and I realised that the cuffs must've been enchanted, which at least explained my fried arm hairs.

I realised then, that I was aware of something. There were goose pimples on my arms, and the hairs on the back of my neck were on end. I heard a slow, low creak from behind me, and whirled around, hoping very faintly that it was one of those wonderful armoured guards (us women have needs, you know). Alas, no, I was faced with a skinny green something with a horrific underbite. My skin barely had time to crawl as the little bastard raised a crude mace towards me. Reacting at a pace I didn't realise possible, I ducked back and held my sword up against the handle of the mace. The impact sent a shudder down to my shoulder, but I stood firm as it was sent backwards onto it's arse. I regained a fighters stance, and sent my shortsword through it's neck. Wrenching my arm, I took off it's head in a fluid motion. _Well, I don't want the little bugger to suffer_, I thought, as I was drenched in a sickly red spray. I cleaned my blade on its shirt and noticed it carried a bag. Inside the bag were a few lock picks, and the word 'GOBLINS' had been crudely stitched to the inside. So it was a goblin, or it's name was Goblin- at this point, I was willing to incinuate that both of these things were true. The term 'ugly little fucker' seemed far more appropriate, but who was I to judge?

I decided to proceed with much more caution. I crept towards the doorway where the goblin had come from and a pungent smell of burning flesh and hair hit my nostrils. _Were they burning people_? I thought, as I carried on sneaking towards the doorway, and a feeling of nervousness rose in my stomach. I really wasn't prepared for this. Despite my three day slumber, the suddenness of today's events seemed to have put my body in a state of anxiety: my limbs felt heavy, and I could really use a bed right now.

I peered around a steep corner very carefully, and caught a glimpse of the source of the smell: a giant rat on a spit roast. Though I was glad I hadn't just bumped into a cooked person, it was still a grim sight. There was caked blood around the rats mouth, and it's cooked skin was raw red, with patches of scorched fur here and there. If I hadn't been a vegetarian before prison, I certainly was now. When I noticed that the rats chest was still rising and falling, I wanted to vomit. _It was alive!_ And then everything went black.

_I could feel cool grass tickling at the back of my neck. I opened my eyes carefully to the bright summer sunshine. I was in a field. A long, open field with wildflowers scattered everywhere. There was a huge forest at the end of the field, and butterflies dancing in every direction. I was in Valenwood. I knew from the smell of the place, and the way that wildflowers grew waist high. Then again, by the look of my tiny felt slippers, I was a very young elf. My brown hair was a lot longer; it fell to past my waist and there were garlands of flax woven into tiny plaits that met at the back of my head. I still had enormous ears, though, a feat which made me start giggling._

_"Efendril, where are you?" I heard a pleasant, feminine voice call over the field. The voice seemed to coming from near the forest, and I felt immediately compelled to run towards it. I ran, my feet cushioned by the soft grass, until I landed with a tumble in front of a petite woman, whose auburn hair was long and curly and perfect. A garland of golden peonies sat atop her hair, and her eyes were bright green- she was wonderful. She looked so soft and gentle, but the slight crease in her forehead told me she could be stern at times. She was my mother._

"_Efendril, please, you need to listen to me," she said, and I could see tears welling up in her eyes, "The time where we could've been saved has gone, Efendril. Me, your father, and your brother are all long gone. You need to stay in Cyrodiil- don't even think of coming to Valenwood. It's a dangerous place for a royal now. You will be safe in Cyrodiil, I promise. And now, darling, my wonderful darling princess, you have to go. You cannot stay any longer," she paused to wipe tears from her face and gave me a once over, "I would like to see my girl grown up, though."_

_In a flash, I stood at her height, my hair was short and I was dressed in the prison rags._

"_What have you done to your hair? And what are you wearing? Oh, my little baby!" she burst properly into tears now, pulling me close to her for a hug. I went willingly, and cried a few myself. I needed this woman, where had she been for the past 18 years of my life?_

_The ground began to shake, and my mother looked worried, "You really must leave now, I can't keep you any longer."_

_I shook my head and stood firm, "No, I won't leave you. I need to be with you! You're my mother!" I cried._

_She returned my headshake sadly, "No, my little Effie, I'm your sister," and Valenwood disappeared._

Lying on the cold floor in a ramshackle pen, I wanted nothing more than to cry. Seeing that I was penned in with about four rats, though, convinced me that I needed to get moving. I crept towards the gate and picked the lock. It was fairly easy, and didn't take long. When I had finished, I turned around to look at the rats. Surprisingly, they had all gathered around me, staring with pleading eyes- I made the executive decision to allow them to have their revenge. I ruffled the biggest one's ears and smiled at them.

"I'm going to summon you to help me fight the goblins, ok?" _ I'm conversing with rats! Now I've actually gone insane. _But when I looked at their bright eyes, I knew they'd understood me, "I'll keep you safe," I murmured. I cast and held a _Convalescence_ spell over all four rats, which was incredibly draining. I opened the pen door, and held a signal to the rats to remain quiet and motionless for the time being. Sneaking slowly out of the room with the pen, I headed down a dark corridor until I heard the screeches and grunts of the goblins. I cast a powerful Beast Tongue spell, and the four rats from the room behind me swarmed the goblins. Taking out a bow and some arrows, I quietly picked off each goblin, until none were standing. The rats began to scamper around the room, playing with bits of bone, and nibbling on the goblins. I smiled to myself, and proceeded down another corridor.

After what seemed like hours wandering in the clammy subterranean, I began to wonder if I was ever getting out of this place alive. I turned another corner, sure I had already seen that particular tangle of tree roots before, until I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. I carried on cautiously towards it, _I'm either about to die, or to find something different, _and so I rushed towards the light. There was a hole in the wall, that lead to a seemingly ancient room. There didn't seem to be any real light source, but the place was abuzz with the tingle of old magicka. It finally seemed that I was getting somewhere, especially when I could hear human voices, though they were very muffled by the thick stone walls.

A metal door I hadn't noticed burst open, and the emperor and his Blades strode in. They were a guard short, and spattered with blood- I _needed_ to help him. Maybe it was because I now knew I was a refugee in his province, but I felt I owed this man a great deal. I stepped out from the shadows, wincing, with my arms in the air, half expecting to be slain before I could open my mouth.

"Prisoner," growled Baurus, as he pulled his sword from it's sheath.

"Leave her be," the emperor commanded, his hand in the air, "we need her help."

"How do we know she isn't one of them? With all due respect, sire, she could well be an assassin," he said, but he sounded uncertain.

"No. You haven't seen what I have seen, and so I know I cannot expect you to understand this, but, Baurus, we need her," he seemed to be on the verge of pleading, and it was then I understood that at this moment, my life was worth something. I was here for a reason. Who even said I _had _committed any crime to land myself in the Imperial Prison? Without sounding like a conspiracy nut, it was totally possible that the most powerful man across the provinces had planted me where I needed to be, although his seemingly kind nature made this thought unlikely.

A few flashes of magicka startled me, and men in dark red and black armour appeared, shouting battlecries at the top of their voices, and wielding nasty-looking swords and axes. I pulled my shortsword from it's sheath, ready for a fight to protect my emperor. Working in automated sync with the two Blades, we circled the emperor, leaving enough room to swing weaponry without injuring his majesty or ourselves. All we could see of the opposition was their eyes, which I won't deny unnerved me slightly. I parried with a man ferociously, and whilst I couldn't match his strength, my agility surprised him. Catching him off guard, I thrust my sword into his chest, gasping at the range of emotions his eyes betrayed. First shock, then pain, followed by sadness until there was no life and he stared blankly at the ceiling. His armour vanished, and he was left with crimson robes and a hood. I closed his eyes gently, and let him lie. The Blades had made short work of the other three assassins, and Baurus gave me an approving nod. Despite the situation, I blushed. I had just fought to protect the emperor alongside the most fierce and honourable fighters in Tamriel, and they seemed glad of my help.

We carried on through to a small room, where there were no doors or windows. The sound of apparition rang out behind us, and Baurus seemed at a loss of what to do. With a swift gesture, the emperor made the Blades leave, and implied I was to stay with him. When they had left, he turned to me.

"My Blades are strong and valiant, but even their might cannot stand alone against what will rise to destroy us. The Prince of Destruction awakes, born anew in blood and fire. These men are but his mortal pawns. You must take the Amulet of Kings to Jauffre. He alone knows where to find my last son. Find my son, and close the jaws of Oblivion for good." he looked at me and smiled, "Efendril, I knew your family well whilst they reigned, and I can say your father would be so proud. Your sister wouldn't approve," he chuckled softly, "but she never did."

"Your amulet? Then this is goodbye? But what about my family?" I stammered, feeling tears start to roll down my face.

"Alas, that is perhaps a tale for another time. This is where my journey ends, Efendril, and I almost wish I could say the same for you. Your journey will be long and dangerous, but, please, give me your hand." He placed a handsome red stone set into ancient gold into my palm and my hand closed around it tightly.

"With all my heart, farewell, emperor. I will never forget you."

"Stand true, my dear, and remember my words. May your heart be your guide, and may the Gods give you strength, for this burden is now yours. The future of Tamriel is in your hands." He stood firm, and before I could raise a sword in defence, was slain by a cloaked assassin. His body fell to the ground in a rumpled heap, and I slaughtered the assassin violently out of sheer fury for the man who had just been murdered.

"You couldn't have done anything. He knew." I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder, and sank back into Baurus' armour, tears still streaming down my face. He turned me around, and gently wiped my cheeks with his leather gauntlets.

"I'm going to get you out of here, through the sewers, ok? As long as you can handle the smell, it won't be a particularly difficult journey. And, it seems like you can handle yourself." He smiled at me, but I couldn't return any of his warmth. It was my fault. Had I not been dwelling on my family, I could've reacted quicker. I could've saved him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Of Mer and Men

Efendril and Baurus take a break from the sewers to relax, and learn a little bit about Cyrodiil as well as each other. Hope you like it, and don't forget to review (:

"There are big lizard people in Cyrodiil? Are you shitting me?" Baurus burst out laughing, and took a swig of mead. We had found a barrel full of the stuff, and had mutually agreed that we could do with a good drink after the day we'd had. He hadn't realised exactly how big the sewer system was, so after clearing a room of it's mud crab inhabitants, he had set down two bedrolls and made a fire. The sewers stank, and it didn't seem a pleasant place to camp, but I was exhausted. Baurus had taken it upon himself to teach me what he could about Cyrodiil, which suited me perfectly because I couldn't remember a thing about the place.

"_Argonians_, Efendril, careful with using the word 'lizard' around them. They make excellent swimmers, and they're pretty good thieves, too. As we're in the animal kingdom, I might as well continue with Khajiits. Imagine a lion that can walk and talk," he paused, thinking, "and you've kind of got a Khajiit."

"So, lizard people and lion people. Are there any other human races, except ours?" he laughed again.

"Efendril, I don't want to disturb you, but, technically speaking, you aren't human. You're elven. Human races are Redguards, like me, Bretons, Imperials and Nords. Then the elves are Bosmers, like you, Altmers, Dunmers and Orcs, to an extent. Khajiits and Argonians are considered beasts, though I personally think it a distasteful term."

I nodded. This was a lot to take in. I had already worked out that my race, the Bosmers, were good marksmen, lithe and athletic, but capable of being virtually undetected and friends of the animals.

"Tell me about Redguards," I said, looking at Baurus. He looked a lot more human now he'd taken off his armour. He was sat, cross legged, on his bedroll, a hunk of bread in one hand. He smiled at me, "If I say so myself, we're brilliant warriors. Particularly skilled with swords. That's pretty much all there is to it."

"Alright, then, tell me about you. Where are you from?"

"Hammerfell, originally. Most Redguards are. I came to the Imperial City when I was a lad. My parents were merchants, so we had moved around a lot, but they stayed in the City until they died. I miss them, of course, but it's natural, once you get to a certain age," he stopped for a minute, before continuing, "I trained in the arena as a teen, and was quickly recruited to work as a guard. Then I became a Blade."

"Surely there's more to it than that," I pondered for a minute, "You don't just suddenly become a member of the most honoured guards in Cyrodiil, do you?"

He sighed heavily, "No, you don't. I was doing a patrol, once, of the Elven Gardens district. We'd been having a problem there with attacks, people kept turning up far worse than dead, it was horrible. The whole City was too terrified to leave their homes, they were very dark times, Efendril. I heard a scream, and went to investigate, but she was dead before I got there. Covered in her own blood, and there were bits missing. Our killer hadn't been so clever, though. In his haste to get away from the scene, he'd left a very unique sealing ring adorned with his initials. It didn't take me long to find him, and when I did, I made sure the bastard didn't get away. We had him burned alive for his crimes. And do you know what he did?" I shook my head, enthralled, "He laughed. The whole time. Just threw back his head and laughed."

Baurus was staring into a bottle of mead, now. I rested my hand on his in a comforting gesture, he jumped at my touch and smiled at me.

"It was a long time ago, but I don't think I can forget it. I just don't understand why someone would do that to someone else.. Anyway," he snapped out of his reverie and continued in a much less disjointed and blunt tone, "You've got the Guilds in Cyrodiil, too. I don't know how you'll fare with the mages, Bosmers aren't renowned for their magicka, but if you're a decent alchemist, they'll probably take you. The fighters guild might have you, too. You're pretty decent with most weapons from what I've seen, and you survived the tunnels." I blushed, partially due to his compliments and the sparkle in his eyes, but mostly due to the mead I had been swigging.

"Do you know anything about my family, Baurus?" I asked him, keeping my voice as straight as I could. He sighed deeply, it seemed to be a common trait of these men, "I wish I could tell you, Efendril, I really do, but I tend to keep my nose out of politics. Mostly because, when in service to the emperor, one is advised to remain politically neutral," he said the last part with an enunciated accent and grinned. He continued in a more sobering tone, "All I know is that there was an uprising. Probably not too long after you were born. Some radicals got the idea that a monarchy wasn't what they wanted, and they just removed the royals. I don't believe your family were at fault, but sometimes an idea can catch people, and before they know it, they're agreeing to things that they wouldn't normally agree to. Before you know it, the whole system's fucked up." he spoke bitterly, and I got the impression that he too had suffered because of twisted politics.

He looked at me, and smiled softly, "I'm sorry," he said, "I was supposed to be teaching you about Cyrodiil, and all I've done is go on about myself. Let's see, what else is there? Oh, yes, the towns.."

We talked and laughed late into the night, nought but the last embers of the fire keeping our faces alight. The pile of empty mead bottles grew higher and larger, until I could barely stand. I gave up my feeble attempts and flopped down on the bedroll, to the sound of Baurus' laughter.

"And what, do tell, are you laughing at? Hmm? Ehh?" I slurred, which only made him laugh harder. He stood up to imitate my actions, and ended up sat in the ash pile, his arse covered in soot.

I howled with laughter, "Haaaaa! You'll have to sleep with, er, no clothes on now!"

**Baurus' POV:**

She was beautiful. Though I could barely make out her small frame in the dark, I could see her gorgeous green eyes sparkling with drunken tears. I joined her in laughter, my brief moment of romantic sobriety gone.

"Well. Well. I have to take your bedroll then, lady. Cause I will be extra cold." I half shouted, partially unintelligible.

"Nooooo!" she cried out, as we played tug of war over a bedroll. We ended up in a tangled heap on the floor, breathing heavily and staring into each others eyes. The rest was darkness.

**Efendril's POV:**

_Ohhhh, shit._ I thought, as I became painfully aware of my surroundings and my blinding headache. I must've drank a horrific amount of, what exactly? Reaching clumsily over to a nearby bottle, I read the label MEAD.

"Eurrrgh," I moaned, still lying on my back. My groan of displeasure caused the sleeping male beside me to stir. I felt an arm snake around my waist, and tightly curled wiry hair brush against my shoulder. I jumped out of my skin as I realised we were sharing a bedroll. _By the Nines_, I thought, _we must've been really far gone_. I stifled laughter at the thought of cuddling up to a Blade to keep warm on a chilly night in the sewers.

It took me a few minutes to realise that I was naked. I peered under the cover of the bedroll and, sure enough, Baurus was naked too. _BY THE NINES, WOMAN! _I spend one night in a man's company and sleep with him! _Although_, I thought, looking at his beautifully muscled chest and stomach and smirking slightly, _I couldn't be_ _blamed, surely, for bedding a man so physically perfect? _The slight red glow from his skin I had become quite used to seemed even warmer in the small amount of light that had filtered through the high barred windows.

Oh, Gods, what was I doing? I needed to get out, and quickly. What if he expected something from me? A sickening feeling washed over me, completely engulfing my senses, _WHAT IF I WAS PREGNANT?_ The thought made me cringe inwardly.

Slowly, I peeled back the cover of the bedroll, checking regularly that he still lay sleeping. I sat up, and felt his arm tighten around me. He pulled me backwards, so I was lying facing him.

"Where do you think you're going?" he mumbled sleepily.

"Do me a favour, Baurus, and open your eyes." I said harshly.

He opened his eyes blearily and smiled in appreciation at my naked chest, and proceeded to attempt to snuggle up to me.

"Baurus!" I snapped, trying to extricate myself from his arms. He was playfully holding me down and I got the sinking feeling he was still drunk. I grabbed his face and spoke harshly into his eyes, "Baurus, listen to me. I haven't a clue what happened last night, but we need to continue out of the sewers and to Jauffre, understand?"

"What, you don't remember?" he sniggered, and I seethed. This man was supposed to be one of the most honourable fighters in Tamriel, and here he was sniggering like a mage apprentice over a ridiculous one night stand. He opened his eyes fully and saw the fierce look on my face, "Well, you know what, we probably should get moving."

I dived under the cover, and found my underwear to be just outside the bedroll. Reaching an arm out, I managed to grab it without revealing myself, and was rewarded with a snort of laughter. Retaining as much dignity as possible, I continued the hunt for my clothes. Hunching over into a crouch, I ducked around the room and found my sack cloth top bundled up in a corner, my sack cloth pants tangled up with Baurus' leather ones and my shoes were nowhere to be seen.

"Have you seen my shoes?" I asked, straightening up, and patting down my clothes of any dust. The task was seemingly pointless, as it appeared that the prison weren't big on laundering their prisoners uniforms, but I was determined to retain as much of my dignity as possible.

He grinned again as he started to pull on his greaves, "You burned them," he said, "Something about not letting a rigid society hold you down, and not conforming to ridiculous social norms."

I groaned. The rest of the trip out of the sewers was not going to be a comfortable one.

"Here," he said, holding out a pair of rough leather boots, "take these. They're nothing spectacular, but they'll keep your feet warm and dry."

"Thanks." I said, and smiled at him. He smiled back, before he put on his helm. Dressed again like one of the most powerful fighters in Cyrodiil, I didn't feel quite as comfortable around him, a feeling which he intensified by saying "Prisoner, I suggest we get moving along now. We have been tasked with something of utmost importance and we must get started."

_PRISONER?_ On the outside, I remained calm, but inside I was fuming. We had very likely engaged in an intimate act last night, and he had the nerve to call me prisoner? I had a sudden flash of inspiration.

"Baurus?" he responded with a grunt, so I carried on, "Don't you think it's a little warm down here? Surely you're boiling with all that armour on?"

"I am quite alright, thank you." he responded curtly, with none of the warmth from the night before, or even from this morning. I hung back slightly, so I was definitely out of his line of sight, and cast a very brief and mild Detect Enchantment spell. _I knew it!_ His armour was enchanted, and with something very complicated from what I could detect; it seemed to be a combination between a lack of charm towards others, a sort of comfort spell, and a very strong shield enchantment. I didn't dare cast a longer spell in case he saw, but felt slightly relieved that it wasn't just him being cruel.

It seemed that the rest of our journey wouldn't have last night's laughs.


End file.
